TwinOaks

Well, life has finally caught up with me. I went to get my DOT physical today, and found out I have High Blood Pressure. I'm having a good-bye party this weekend so I can bid farewell to lots of close personal friends. Gone are Pizza, Fast Food, etc, etc. I'm okay with that, but I'll have to find a doc in the next week and get on medication. My wife has done some research and it looks like I'll also be giving up smoking, CAFFEINE (hang on, it gets worse) and I MUST give up B A C O N. AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! So, before I totally break down and have a full blown conniption fit, can some of y'all chime in, lie to me, and tell me how it ain't all that bad to be on a salt/grease/sugar/caffeine/flavor-free diet?

Hi and welcome to Leatherworker.net! From the main page of the forum, if you'll scroll down a bit, you'll find a subforum titled Gun Holsters, Rifle Slings, and Knife Sheathes (<-----or just click the link) listed in the "specialty leatherwork" category. There are a several tutorials 'pinned' in place in that section and should get you well under way in designing and constructing holsters.

Ah, I guess I misunderstood your statement. Hope you get it up and running soon.

Missy, I recommend PMing the original poster on this. As old as this thread is, he may not even be looking for it any more.

Just ran through it, and everything I was looking to get rid of is GONE!!!! Many thanks. Now I gotta remove the trial period prog. and I'll be done.

Thanks, Dave

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! Nice looking guitars, and don't worry about the leather- you'll remember it, and then things will begin to flow.

You wrote that you changed bobbins......have you rewound and tried the original bobbin? I don't know if it would make a difference, but maybe there's something on the 'new' bobbin causing the problem. Seems like if everything else is right, it would be prudent to go back to the bobbin you know was working correctly. Probably be a good bit cheaper to replace the bobbin than have someone come out, or ship the head off, too.

Hey gang, I've gone through and removed some unused programs on my computer and ran into tiny issue. Windows Installer keeps trying to install Roxio DVD something or other, which I don't want. So I decided to just get rid of the whole thing. When I go through the CP, and try to uninstall it, I get messages that files are missing and it bogs down the entire computer. In a nutshell, Windows won't remove it. Is there a way to just delete the dang thing? Jo, before directing me to G2G, I've tried to post a few things there but have been stone walled with "you have an open topic" from over a year ago that was never resolved. Now, anything I try to add gets put 'on hold' b/c I have the old topic open. TIA, Mike

Welcome to Leatherworker.net! You are definitely in the right place to learn, and we enjoy helping new members with their new addiction hobby. By the way, we LOVE pictures, and they are incredibly useful to us when you need clarification on how do so something. So, with that in mind, take pictures of your work as you go. No one here started carving masterpieces on their first try......well, almost no one.....so don't feel that your work doesn't meet a standard for posting it. Have fun.

Hi digitone, You are in the right place!!!!! Welcome to Leatherworker.net. The Stohlman books are worth every penny you pay for them. Even if you aren't turning out "show piece" quality work, seeing how things are done will improve your understanding. I'd also like to suggest getting Stohlman's 'Tech-Tips', as it shows how some tools are used using illustrations. The layout portion of a project is really something that needs to be experienced rather than viewed. Check with your local Tandy manager about classes- even if it's with Tandy kits, the fundamentals are still the fundamentals. Start small, grasshopper. I'm pretty sure that Michaelangelo didn't start out by asking for a commission to paint the ceiling of the chapel. In the meantime, try every design you can. For practice in designing cases/wallets/etc, I suggest the enormous (under $5) investment of a pack of copy paper and some tape. Draw stuff, cut out shapes and tape it together, see how things fit into the whole......and of course, visit with us. Ask questions, look at the pics here and ask how it's done. We're generally a pretty helpful group of people. Use the search function (because I can't remember where the threads are) and look at the "pinned" topics. There were a few requests on how to make model 'x' wallet, and presto! a pattern shows up. This place really is awesome in that regard. Stick around, I think you'll like it here.

Welcome back Tom, glad you're still around. Nice looking bracers.

Beautiful work Mark.

If you go to Luberto's website (leatherstitchers.com) you can get the set-up and operation DVD from them directly. Based on an email conversation with Leila, I get the feeling they don't like to have any 'middle men' involved. So, unless someone just happens to have a copy of it, they're your best bet for obtaining one.

A circular saw blade is too thick to be a good head knife. They are also commonly a mild steel with carbide tips, and you'll find some very light lines in them which are actually cuts to allow expansion and contraction. They WILL separate if they have the opportunity. I suggest using an old crosscut saw/hand saw. The blade is much thinner to start, and that makes it easier to cut, grind, profile, and heat treat. I think it's Electrathon that was making some quarter-round knives that way, picking up the old saws from flea markets and yard sales. Check his posts or search for headknives along with his name.

I'll see what I can do, but as far as calling my little bit 'o knowledge expertise......long way off. I'm too 'green' to be an expert There's probably 40 pages worth of discussion on just vinegaroon and it's uses. It gets pretty detailed with alternate formulas, chemical analysis, etc. Most of it came from much more knowledgeable members than me. Still, I'll see if I can dig up a bit of info on it- maybe get links to all the threads in one place.

First off, vinegaroon isn't a magic solution- dip and presto! There's a few things that need to be done that are only learned by doing. Bitone's batch, Particle's batch and my batch are all a little bit different, and we aren't using the same piece of leather. Also, the 'roon gets better as it ages. My 'roon is at least a year old and I've dropped additional metal in the jar from time to time. As it sits, I can dunk a piece of leather, have it turn black inside 2 minutes, and in 15 minutes there's no smell. The 'roon gets better with age, provided you add enough metal to the brew to completely use up the acid. Ever notice how the vinegarroon smells like vinegar? Keep adding metal to completely reduce the acetic acid (vinegar), and you 'use up' all the stuff making the smell. You also need to give it time. Yes it works after two weeks, but there's still too much acetic acid floating in the brew; so....it smells. Wet forming should be done while it's wet with 'roon. After forming, toss it in an oven to set it. I use a countertop convection oven, set at 140-150 ish, for about 10 minutes. Then I pull the gun/block from the inside and get it somewhere with moving air. You can place a piece of metal, or even a chilled paper towel inside the holster and it will help pick up the 'sweat' on the inside to speed up drying. Be sure to wipe/replace it from time to time. Once the leather dries, it's somewhat difficult to re-wet, short of total submersion....and even that doesn't work that well. Here's why- The penetration of the ferric acetate into the leather, seems to push the natural oils and waxes to the surface. That's one of the reasons to oil/condition it after 'rooning. Besides turning black, the piece now acts like you've worked a lot of wax into the surface of the leather- it doesn't want to take moisture. This even effects the flesh side of the leather. As far as stitching.....I use waxed linen thread and hand stitch all my stuff. I haven't had any problems with the vinegaroon discoloring it. Though I don't usually use white thread on black leather, either. The stuff you see dripping off/ soaking off into a towel/rag/etc. is basically 'leather juice', that contains some of the tannins that are displaced. The ferric acetate is still reacting with the tannins, so it comes off as slightly black/blue. NOTE: When wet molding a 'rooned holster, be sure to either (A) use a blue gun, or ( thoroughly protect the gun. With some of the finishes available, you won't likely see any damage, BUT what about the insides, where there's some drips? I've had to move 'add snaps' (or any other metal hardware) to the end of the assembly list because the 'roon will eat them if it gets on them while wet. Unless you just enjoy refinishing a weapon, don't risk it- especially with a blued finish. It WILL eat the blueing right off, and a good hot blueing (or re-blueing) isn't cheap. Give the brew some time to season, I think you'll like it more when it's aged a bit.

I've found the easiest way to prevent the prongs from going through the top layer of leather is to double snip them with a set of dikes. First cut is diagonal on the spike, parallel to the edge to reduce height, second cut is across the bottom to free the piece you trimmed. Or, alternately, just snip the point off at the appropriate height- I've never had a problem with the non-pointed spike penetrating a layer of leather to hold it in place.

Welcome to Leatherworker.net!

Ray, I found this: http://www.reltekllc.com/primers-adhesion-promoters-for-Delrin-Acetal.htm in a quick search. Google "bonding Delrin" for more possibilities.

The finished edge of a piece of leather is the result of several steps, not just the application of an edge coating. Click over to the "How do I do that?" section, and look for a 'pinned' tutorial called "Finishing Edges" by Hidepounder. That should get you started in the right direction.

Wow, this has been a good thread... I think I can best describe my ideas through an example: My friend Robert, who manages (and will own, once his FFL shows up) the indoor range and gun shop, has decided that he's going to have me do ALL the leather for the shop. He's already got a target market, and will be adjusting the store's inventory to fit it. I'll simply be making 'cookie cutter' holsters that fit the different items in inventory. There will be a holster pattern for Glocks, S&W/Taurus snubbies, Ruger/Keltec pocket pistols, Springfield XD, Bersa, etc. They'll be available in three colors, and will be stitched to fit the shape of the weapon and probably have a thumb break strap for retention. Simple belt attachment method. These are standard pattern items, and will be priced accordingly, there will be a little "break in period" for the leather to get stretched just right. Then there's the custom leather available. Got a weapon that isn't on the 'standard' list? Fill out this form and see the guy at the end of the counter. These holsters (and other items) are made to specific details to give the customer exactly what they want, and are molded to the specific weapon they'll carry. This area is where most of my current work is- I just finished a left handed paddle holster for a Highway Patrolman, paired with a shotgun stock wrap with padded cheek rest and loop cartridge holders for a 16 gauge. Not the most common order And yes, the price is adjusted accordingly. So I guess the short answer is production line items fit 'most', and a custom item fits one- whether you talking guns or people.

Good topic, as it's one of the things I'll be facing in the (hopefully soon) future. I'd suggest a compromise of the two. Take your best sellers, top 3 or 5, and do about half of the holster. Go ahead and cut the patterns, lay out the stitch lines, and stop. This puts you several steps ahead on the construction, but still allows for customization. Leave little things like color and attachment methods for the customer to decide, so all you have to do is complete construction and apply the finish.